Book Review: "The Best Little Motel in Texas" by Lyla Lane

This cozy mystery featuring the unlikeliest band of amateur detectives was such fun! I hope this is the start of a series.

Cordelia is completely shocked to receive a call from her old hometown of Sarsaparilla Falls, Texas. She and her mother fled the judgmental small town and rebuilt their lives in Dallas, and Cordelia hasn’t thought of the place—or of her childhood, getting her mother home from bars—in years.

It turns out her great-aunt Penelope (whom Cordelia didn’t know existed) passed away, and named her as the owner of the Chickadee Motel. Cordelia can’t imagine working at a motel, but apparently she can’t sell it unless the residents agree. So she reluctantly heads back to Sarsaparilla Falls to see what she’s been stuck with.

Much to her surprise, she finds out that the Chickadee isn’t a motel: it’s a brothel. The “residents” are Daisy, Belinda Sue, and Arline, three women who have been, umm, working with, the men in town for 40 or so years. (Mostly with their wives’ approval.) So Cordelia is the new madam.

The first thing she wants to do is get out of town and away from the motel. But when the town’s pastor dies in Daisy’s bed, and it appears he has been poisoned, Cordelia knows she needs to help her “chicks.” They begin their investigation in order to clear Daisy’s name, but they don’t realize what a tangled web they’ve stepped into.

I could only imagine what a film or television adaptation of this book would look like. Picturing the “chicks” in their outfits made me smile, and Cordelia was a fun character to watch develop. This really was a fun one!

Book Review: "No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding" by Catherine Mack

Thanks so much to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book! While you don’t have to read Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies before you read this, it would help put some things into context for you.

Eleanor, the author of the Vacation Murders series, is tremendously excited that When in Rome, the first book in the series, is finally being adapted for the movies. Her childhood best friend Emma is starring as the character modeled after Eleanor herself, and the handsome Fred Winters, an Oscar-winning actor, is playing the male lead, based on Eleanor’s ex (and frequent nemesis), Connor.

In an example of life imitating art, Emma and Fred fell in love while filming and plan to get married once the movie wraps. Everyone is invited to Catalina Island for the wedding. Eleanor will be Emma’s maid of honor.

But before the wedding festivities begin, Emma tells Eleanor that she’s received a threatening note which promises that someone will die at the wedding. She asks Eleanor to try and figure out who’s behind the threats. Of course, Eleanor isn’t expecting Connor to be at the wedding as well, nor is she surprised that he wants to help investigate.

As people start dying and close calls keep occurring, Eleanor starts to uncover a confusing web of secrets and lies. Every time she thinks she’s figured things out, something shifts. At the same time, a hurricane is heading for Catalina. (Naturally.)

This is a fun cozy series that definitely keeps you guessing. There are a lot of characters, and some are actors portraying the characters, so at times it’s hard to keep track of everyone. Eleanor is an appealing, yet sarcastic and insecure character that I really enjoy, and I’m excited there’s a third book on the horizon!

This book publishes 5/13/2025.

Book Review: "Rehearsed to Death" by Frank Anthony Polito

I’ve been meaning to get back to this fun cozy mystery series for a while, and I’m glad I finally did! The marketing blurb called this book “Hart to Hart via HGTV,” and of course, it made me think about how I used to love that show! (You youngsters reading this review, the 80s were fun years of TV.)

Peter (PJ) and JP return, but their home renovation show, Domestic Partners, is on hiatus. Instead, they’re focused on the theater. Peter’s first play, Blue Tuesday, is going to be produced, and JP will be the star.

There are hopes that the play might even make it to Broadway, so a big-deal director is brought in to up the ante. And Xander Sherwood Deva is the biggest of big deals—especially in his own mind. It’s not long before this overly affected, egotistical, spiteful, scarf-wearing tyrant drives everyone to anger. Given all of the enemies he’s made in his career, it’s not entirely surprising when he’s found dead, but who sent Xander for his final curtain call?

JP and Peter are determined that Blue Tuesday will go on as planned, regardless of Xander’s murder. But before the curtain can rise, they’ll need to slip into their detective roles and figure out who killed their director.

Will they unmask the killer before it’s too late? Will the show go on? Will anyone else wind up in danger? And will the play be a success? So much is riding on the couple, including the realization of their own dreams.

I think this series really is a delight. The characters make me laugh and the whole plot had a fun, farcical tone to it. I loved seeing them solving crimes together. I’ll definitely pick up the third book in the series a bit quicker!

Book Review: "How to Solve Your Own Murder" by Kristen Perrin

This mystery had such a cozy, old-fashioned feel to it, I kept expecting Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple to show up! In all seriousness though, this was absolutely terrific, and I loved the unique angle of this book.

In 1965, Frances and her two best friends visit a fair in the English countryside. It’s a wonderful day until they get their fortunes told, because Frances’ fortune predicts she will be murdered. Even though there are doubts to the legitimacy of the fortune teller, Frances takes this very seriously, and spends nearly 60 years trying to figure out who will be her murderer.

Annie, Frances’ great niece, is summoned to her estate in the village of Castle Knoll, to meet with her and her solicitor. But as they ready for the meeting, Frances is found murdered. Annie, an aspiring mystery writer, wants to solve the murder, but given how much dirt Frances dug up on everyone through the years, there’s no end to the number of suspects.

In Frances’ will, she challenged her potential heirs—her eccentric stepson Saxon and Annie—to solve her murder; whoever does it within a week will inherit it all. If they fail, or the police solve the murder first, the estate will be sold. Armed with Frances’ diary and a list of theories, Annie is determined to find out who killed her great-aunt.

To solve this mystery, Annie must also figure out the truth behind another crime that happened nearly 60 years ago. And it very well may be that the same person could have struck again. The closer Annie gets to the truth, the more dangerous it becomes for her.

The narrative shifts between Frances’ diary entries from the 1960s and Annie’s investigation into her great-aunt’s death. There are lots of fun and eccentric characters, a dual mystery to solve, and for a while I had no idea whom to trust. I hope that Kristen Perrin might bring Annie back in another book!

Book Review: "The Golden Spoon" by Jessa Maxwell

In The Golden Spoon, the contestants on a popular baking show have more to worry about than simple competition.

Meh. I wanted so much more from this one. I mean, a mystery that takes place on the set of a baking competition? I could almost taste the possibilities. (Sorry, it did make me hungry.)

It’s the 10th season of “Bake Week,” the beloved competition show. It’s filmed at Grafton Manor, the historic Vermont home of the show’s host, baking legend Betsy Martin. The five contestants are assembled, as is Betsy’s new co-host, culinary bad boy Archie Morris, whose hire Betsy is none-too-thrilled about.

But as the competition gets started, things to go awry. Contestants’ work is getting sabotaged, tensions are mounting between Betsy and Archie, secrets are hidden, and then, murder. Hang on to your whisks!!

The plot for this one seemed completely by-the-numbers. Narration alternated between Betsy and each of the contestants, although one contestant got barely any mention.

Oh well, you can't win 'em all…

Book Review: "The Whispered Word" by Ellery Adams

The Whispered Word brings a welcome return to Miracle Springs, North Carolina and this memorable cast of characters!!

Not only do I salute Ellery Adams for a terrific follow-up in this cozy series, but thanks to her for fighting for the Oxford comma this time. The Secret, Book, and Scone Society returns!!

When Nora, owner of Miracle Books, finds a young woman asleep in her store, she and her friends don’t know what to make of her—she’s wearing ill-fitting clothes and a hospital bracelet. Nora knows all too well what it’s like to be running from something, so while the thought of sharing her space with a stranger doesn’t thrill her, she wants the woman to know she’s not alone.

This woman, who says her name is Abilene, is clearly hiding something. Nora and her friends know that you have to be ready to trust others when you share your story. But when a customer of Nora’s dies in what is assumed to be a suicide, they discover a connection to Abilene that leaves them wondering whether to worry she might be next—or if she’s hiding something sinister.

When another death occurs, once again, Nora, Hester, June, and Estella try to figure it all out before disaster strikes even closer to home. And once again they’ll demonstrate the value of books, baked goods, and the trust of friendship in helping get through tough times.

There are so many things I love about this series—the setting, the way Adams lets her characters’ vulnerabilities come through, the way she recognizes that you are never miraculously free from all of your demons. It’s such a terrific series. I’ll admit I shied away from cozy mysteries for far too long because I thought they’d be too cutesy, but if more are like this, sign me up!!

Book Review: "The Secret, Book & Scone Society" by Ellery Adams

Why didn’t I read this book sooner? I loved it, although the lack of Oxford comma in the title is making me tense!!

You know you love a book when you want to go where it is set, and after reading The Secret, Book & Scone Society, I surely want to go to Miracle Springs, North Carolina!

Nora once was a librarian, but after tragedy left her physically and emotionally scarred, she’s started over in the small town. She owns a store called Miracle Books, and it seems she has a special talent for bibliotherapy. After hearing a person’s problems, she can suggest a book or books for them to read, and suddenly their way forward is clearer.

One such man, a troubled real estate developer, was supposed to meet her at her shop for help, but he never made it—he got pushed in front of a train. What secrets was he trying to unburden himself of? Was he pushed or did he jump?

Nora gets together with three other local women—Hester, the bakery owner, whose “comfort scones” provoke powerful memories; June, who works in the town’s mineral springs; and Estella, the town’s hairdresser, who wants more out of life. They team up to try and figure out what happened, but in order to solve that mystery, they must share their own secrets at the same time, and let others in.

Ellery Adams did such a great job with this book! This is my first cozy mystery and you can bet I’m reading the sequel soon!!